Meet the Best Selling Cars in the World

Neither had I. The Sunshine is a minivan built and sold in China by Wuling Motors, which is actually a partner with General Motors. According to the automaker’s website, the Sunshine boasts a “user-friendly handling mechanism,” a “reliable braking system” and “comfortable interior decorations.” I’m sure the rest of the car is top-notch as well. I don’t know about you, but I’m left wondering where to sign! That bit about the reliable braking system sold me, because that’s just not something we see enough of these days.

Sarcasm aside, you might find yourself wondering why I’ve spent the first hundred words or so of this blog talking about such an obscure vehicle. Certainly it’s not the best selling car in the world, right?

Of course not. The Sunshine is, however, the fourth best selling car in the world. Almost 770,000 Sunshine minivans were sold in 2012, which puts it above cars from Toyota, Chevrolet, Volkswagen, Ford and Honda. Please pause for a collective, “Wow!”

The best selling car in the entire world is the Ford Focus, with over 1 million cars sold across the globe. The (distant) number two is the once-perennial winner, the Toyota Corolla.

Interestingly, the Sunshine and the Focus have something in common: China. If not for the Chinese market, neither car would be on this list. About 300,000 Focuses were sold in China last year, which was enough to push it into first place. Ford also took the third place spot with its F-Series pickup, which sold more than 785,000 trucks. That’s an impressive number, considering Ford sells the F-Series only in North America, while the Focus is on sale in more than 100 countries.

…and in a USA with a much lower population and certainly not a “world car” like the Focus. It gives you pause to think that a company that employed so many and was such a powerhouse of the US economy could be an ex-bankrupt pusher of mediocre, cookie-cutter Kars with half its brands gone. (as well as about 90% of the number of employees it had in 1965.)
But congrats Ford for building a small car that people all over the world are enjoying.